john watson created a new blog: Hεalth Carε Tips
2009-07-23 08:18:00 john watson created a new blog: Hεalth Carε Tips
john watson wrote a new blog post: Hεalth Carε Tips
2009-07-23 08:18:00 john watson wrote a new blog post: Hεalth Carε Tips Nowadays I producε into thε opεn air maturεd this powεr and I fuck to contεnd in thε draw into thε opεn air on of composεrs rεgimεntals Sor, Tarrεga, fiddlεr or othεrs or into sickεning to compεtition mysεlf somεwhεrε amid thε notεs. Thεsε main momεnts arε a εmphasis down of mεditation. Thεy mind all thε schεmε ...
John Watson: "Get busy livin', or get busy dying"
2008-06-05 23:59:00 John Watson sounds even more at the end of his tether now than he did back in March of this year. He issued another plea to the Highways Agency yesterday, asking them to tell him when they will be ready to re-start the Public Inquiry. That's right - when they will be ready. Clearly, if this had been an objector, the delays would not have been tolerated, and they would not have been indulged in this way.He also sounds more and more desperate. Like a spurned lover, he's forced to leave more and more pathetic messages on the Highways Agency's answerphone "we used to be good together, we used to have fun - please get in touch".A bigger political game is at foot here. In reality, Watson is at best "going through the motions", and all of this serves to do is underline his powerlessness. Will he take the rope, like Brooks, or will he choose escape, like Red? We'll see.
John Watson's lonely hearts club
2008-03-17 22:50:00 We did promise more about the further postponement of the Public Inquiry and today we have the sad tale of the lonely figure that is the Inspector, John Watson.What prompted the Highways Agency's latest announcement was in fact a letter from John Watson published the week before. He makes it clear that he has not heard from the Highways Agency by their promised date of February 2008 and published a series of questions, to wit:Does the Highways Agency still intend to submit revised evidence to the Inquiry?If the Highways Agency still intends to submit revised evidence to the Inquiry, when does it intend to do so?These are the words of a man kept hanging on. He has no role without his consort, and sounds rather lost and desperate. He is eager to please, but is really the Highways Agency's plaything. And they have decided not to play, at least for the time being.The reason Roy Oldham and the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce are huffing and puffing and getting steamed up, and t...
John Watson's Worldwide Fanclub
2008-03-10 21:05:00 Older readers of this blog may well remember the joke we had at the expense of the Inspector John Watson prior to the commencement of the Public Inquiry last year. We'd rumbled his textbook on road building and called for a book signing session on his behalf.And he even commented upon our blog at the Pre-Inquiry Meeting:I have written a textbook called Highway Construction and Maintenance which was last revised in 1994. You can still buy it, should you wish to. I will not be signing copies today because it is out of date, apart from anything else. (page 7, lines 9-12)(Much to hoots of laughter & applause from the members of Siege Mentality who were present - not recorded in the transcript. The joke's on them anyway)OK, it was a joke - but why not? After all, one or two visitors to the blog over the past few weeks have been seeking out this tarmac-junky-tome for far-flung shores. Here's one from Jakarta and another from Dubai.Of perhaps John's on holiday and is looking himsel...
Hostages to fortune
2007-12-18 17:22:00 Day 15 of the Public Inquiry (PI) - amazing isn't it? it's been running for more than 6 months, yet it's only just managed to have a fortnight of 'sitting days'.The Highways Agency have managed to go one better than at the last hearing on November 6th. For now, they have managed to get the PI postponed indefinitely.Stephen Greenhalgh (for the Highways Agency) was unable to say when their evidence would be sufficiently in order to present to the PI, but promised to return 'after Easter' to give an update. The Inspector, John Watson, wanted him to be more specific:JW - There is an awful lot of time, I hope, after Easter 2008. How long after Easter 2008 do you have in mind?SG - I don't know at this stage, sir.For once, the Peak District National Park looked like they had some bite. Their Barrister, Mr Cannock, set out a perfectly reasonable possible order of events:The Highways Agency withdraw the Line OrdersThey produce new traffic forecastsThey introduce a consultation on a P...
"It seems to me it is, in the literal sense of the word, an extraordinary s
2007-11-06 20:59:00 Those of you that have been following this farce that calls itself a Public Inquiry know the drill by now. The Public Inquiry re-convened today. So, right on cue, the Highways Agency admit that even more of their figures are wrong. Over to the Inspector, John Watson:Yesterday the Programme Officer had a telephone call fromLouise McCawley, who I understand works for theHighways Agency. She told him and asked him to tell me, whichis why I am mentioning it now, that more errors had beenfound in the traffic modelling and that there may be a delayin presenting the Environmental Statement later than30th November. I know nothing more about this. (p.3, line 22)'lah-de-dah' Charles Calvert for the Highways Agency professed his client's complete incompetence (or wilful tactical ploys...):it is nigh impossible for us to achieve the date that was set at the last meeting. (p.4, line 10)And guess what? This also means that their amended evidence, submitted since the last adjournment, is now in...
Pull the other one...
2007-09-24 21:08:00 It won't have escaped anyone's notice, but last week the Public Inquiry was adjourned unexpectedly for the second time. The Inquiry will briefly reconvene on November 6th, giving the Highways Agency time to re-work some of their evidence, and then again on December 18th to deal with the rest of it. The Objectors will now have to wait until 2008 to present their evidence again.At this stage, it would seem to naive to believe anything other than that this is a tactical charade by the Highways Agency. By the time their case is over, they will have had nearly 2 years to formulate their case to bring before the public - so one questions if that is really the problem. Unlike the State, the Objectors do not have bottomless pockets to fund their part in this charade, and individual objectors can get fed up with the constant delays. The Highways Agency want to turn everyone off with their slow, grinding misery of an approach.And, of course, the Inspector lets them carry on with it. At th...
Who'd offer odds on this?
2007-07-30 21:27:00 One of those ultra-rare events occurred last week. A Public Inquiry recommended that the massive Thames Gateway Bridge road scheme through London should not go ahead.Transport for London had clearly been very cocksure about the result, as we had reported back in May, because they had already started putting tenders out shortly after the PI had wound up. But the Inspector has now come back and given them a surprise by agreeing with objectors, and also pointing out that the increases in C02 emissions the scheme would entail were contrary to government policy.What' s more interesting for us is that the Assistant Inspector was our very own John Watson.But before anyone breaks out the champagne, the government have ignored the Inspector's decision, and ordered a new Inquiry. Unlike the Inspector's decision, this is entirely predictable.This 'rebellion' on behalf of the Inspector could be the establishment's response to the government's Planning White Paper, which seeks to remove ...
John Watson's tour of Longdendale - ' On the Road Again'
2007-07-22 20:06:00 The latest dates have been announced for John Watson's 'Tour de Longdendale' - the itinerary for his tour locations (and impromptu gigs) has been announced and can be viewed here. He'll be taking to the road on Wednesday 25th and Thursday 26th of July, to view the sites and areas the Highways Agency/TMBC wants to devastate with the bypass.Take your place by the roadside to wave him on his way. Though groupies will not be encouraged, there is a chance that he will sign copies of 'Highway Construction & Maintenance' at selected locations for his fans. The tour's secret last date is at Number 8 Back Moor, where JW will play before a select, invite-only audience of his biggest fans.
John Watson smells a rat...
2007-07-10 21:22:00 Day 2 of the PI, and he's rumbled Tameside. A priceless quote from John Watson (p.94, line 22):There seems to be a large rodent operating in the corner?Some of us have been smelling a rat for years, but there you go...Day 2 was a day marred by sound problems and John Watson's rapidly diminishing temper. You would have thought these problems would have been ironed out by now, but many people pointed out back in May that a large open space with a stone floor doesn't lend itself to good acoustics. It's not unreasonable to wonder whether this is deliberate, especially as someone from the floor pointed out (p.23 line 25) on the day that Hyde Town Hall has excellent acoustics.
Post Inquiry Meltdown...
2007-05-02 22:11:00 Yesterday was a rather ominous portent of things to come in this campaign. It's easier to make a list of the issues and comment on them:An Inspector seemingly out of his depth - unaware of crucial aspects of law such as PPS7 (calling it 'PPS5'), clearly inexperienced and without an assistant to help. Less than firm with the Highways Agency who had the gall to admit they might miss a (statutory) deadline for submission of their evidence. Expressed only mild dissatisfaction that Inquiry Libraries were at either end of the bypass (Stocksbridge & Stalybridge) and nowhere near those most affected by the scheme - Mottram, Hollingworth, Tintwistle & Glossop (the Highways Agency showing their utter contempt for those of us who want to do research, both for and against the scheme). He clearly reads this blog though, because he declined to sign copies of his book!Unsuitable venue - a large old stone-floored market hall. Appalling acoustics. Much time wasted passing around a microphone...
John Watson - book signing dates announced
2007-04-25 21:56:00 All you engineering students out there, get yourself down to Stalybridge Civic Hall next Tuesday (1st May) if you want your copy of J P Watson's fantastic Highway Construction and Maintenance*The author will be present and will be happy to record his best wishes for posterity to all his ardent fans (especially TMBC Councillors, Highways Agency et al).NB - it should be noted that the author intends to proceed immediately afterwards to conduct a Public Inquiry in a totally impartial manner. The fact he has written a book detailing modern road construction methods does not indicate any partiality, and in no way can he be described as a 'tarmac head'. *Highway Construction and Maintenance (Paperback) by J.P. Watson (Author) Paperback: 248 pagesPublisher: Longman; 2Rev Ed edition (22 Aug 1994)Language EnglishISBN-10: 0582234123ISBN-13: 978-0582234123 |
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